John Rockwell

John Sargent Rockwell (born September 16, 1940) is an American music critic, editor, arts administrator, and dance critic.[1] He studied at Phillips Academy, Harvard, the University of Munich, and the University of California, Berkeley, earning a Ph.D. in German cultural history.[1]

This article is about the critic. For the U.S. Representative, see John A. Rockwell.

John Rockwell
Rockwell at the 2015 EMP Pop Conference
Born	(1940-09-16) September 16, 1940 Washington, D.C., USA
Occupation	Music critic, editor, director, arts administrator, dance critic
Years active	1969–present
Spouse(s)	Linda F. Mevorach
Children	Sasha
Parent(s)	Alvin J. Rockwell (1908-1999) Anna S. Hayward (1906-1983)

Career

Rockwell began his journalistic career at the Oakland Tribune and the Los Angeles Times.[1] In 1972 he began writing at The New York Times, first as a classical music critic and reporter, then also as the paper's chief pop music critic, and, from 1992 to 1994, as the European cultural correspondent.[1] Between 1994 and 1998, he served as the first director of the Lincoln Center Festival. Rockwell returned to The New York Times to become the editor of the paper's Sunday Arts and Leisure section. In 2004, he was named the chief dance critic. He left the Times at the end of 2006 to pursue independent projects.

Rockwell currently lives in Manhattan with his wife, Linda Mevorach. Their daughter, Sasha, resides in California. He is the son of late San Francisco attorney Alvin J. Rockwell and Anna S. Hayward.[1][2][3][4]

In January 2008, Rockwell was a Distinguished Visitor at the American Academy in Berlin. He is a Chevalier of the French Order of Arts & Letters.

Radio

Rockwell got his start in journalism at WHRB at Harvard and at KPFA in Berkeley.[5][6]

On WNYC Radio, Rockwell examined cultural topics and events in the news for his weekly Monday night segment, Rockwell Matters, from October 2007 until May 2008. (Archives can be heard online)

Rockwell is interviewed by Charles Amirkhanian on KPFA following the publication of his book “All American Music: Composition of the late 20th Century” 1983

Books

• All American Music, Knopf (1983) ISBN 0-394-51163-8.
• Sinatra: An American Classic, Random House (1984) ISBN 0-394-53977-X.
• The Idiots, BFI (2003) ISBN 0-85170-955-9.
• Outsider: John Rockwell on the Arts, Limelight (2006) ISBN 0-87910-333-7
• The Times of the Sixties (editor), Black Dog and Leventhal (2014) ISBN 1579129641

References

1. Google Books, The International Who's Who (2004), 67th Edition, Europa Publications, 2003, ISBN 1-85743-217-7, Library of Congress Catalog Card #35-10257, page 1426, Retrieved Apr. 30, 2018.
2. New York Times, Alvin Rockwell, 90; Lawyer Helped Mold A Postwar Germany by Wolfgang Saxon, May 20, 1999, Retrieved Apr. 28, 2018.
3. Find-A-Grave - Alvin John Rockwell, Retrieved Apr. 28, 2018.
4. Find-A-Grave - Anna Sargent Rockwell, Retrieved Apr. 28, 2018.
5. Rockwell, John (May 2009). Outsider: John Rockwell on the Arts, 1967-2006. ISBN 9780879103675.
6. https://www.myheritage.com/research/record-90100-53276022/kpfa-folio-radio-programs-vol-18-no-6-sept?trp=&trn=organic_google&trl=#fullscreen